Feeling All the Feels Again – Rock of Ages at Company Theatre

August 16, 2021 michaelhoban1 Comment

Cast of ‘Rock of Ages’ Rocks at Company Theatre in Norwell

Directed by Zoe Bradford, Musical Direction by Steve Bass, Choreography by Sally Ashton Forrest, Costume Design by Alison Gordon, Lighting Design by Dean Palmer Jr., Set Design by Ryan Barrow.

by Linda Chin

Welcome to the 80s, or as the show’s narrator (Brad Reinking) delightfully describes, “the Reagan era…a time before most of the people on this stage were born.” Like many musicals, Rock of Ages is thin on plot, a classic girl-meets-boy story of small-town girl and aspiring actress Sherri (Emily Lambert) and city boy and rock star wannabe Drew (Braden Misiaszek) searching for fulfillment in Hollywood, Los Angeles. Their field of dreams – the Bourbon Room – is being targeted by a greedy developer Hertz (Kevin Groppe), and club owner Denise’s (Janis Hudson) attempts to save her business from the wrecking ball, including hiring an egomaniacal rock star Stacee Jaxx (Trey Lundquist/Shane Hennessey) add additional twists to the storyline.

Gloucester Stage Serves Up a Tasty Comic Dish with ‘Seared’

August 11, 2021August 16, 2021 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Jordan Pearson, James Louis Wagner, Matt Monaco, and Emily Bosco in ‘Seared’ at the Windhover Center for the Performing Arts in Rockport. Presented by Gloucester Stage Company. Photos by Jason Grow.

Seared – Directed by Victoria Gruenberg. Scenic Design by Anya Klepikov; Stan Mathabane Sound Design by Stan Mathabane; Lighting Design by Aja M. Jackson; Costume Design by Kathleen Doyle. Presented by Gloucester Stage Company at Windhover Center for the Performing Arts, 257R Granite St, Rockport, MA through August 22

by Mike Hoban

It’s an age-old question. Does making money and achieving a degree of fame from one’s chosen art form somehow diminish the art itself? If your name is Harry, the gifted chef in Theresa Rebeck’s entertaining comedy Seared, the answer is a resounding ‘YES’. After winning praise from New Yorker magazine for a particularly inventive and mouthwatering scallop dish that is boosting business at his struggling restaurant, Harry (James Louis Wagner) immediately goes full-on diva, refusing to make the meal for customers because (ostensibly) the quality of said mollusks at the fish market fail to meet his lofty standards.

CSC’s ‘Tempest’ Casts an Enchanting Spell

July 30, 2021July 31, 2021 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Cast of Commonwealth Shakespeare Company’s “The Tempest” (Photos by Evgeina Eliseeva)

“The Tempest”. By William Shakespeare. Directed by Steven Maler. Presented by Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, Boston Common through August 8.

by Michele Markarian

From the opening moment of “The Tempest”, Prospero (John Douglas Thompson) front and center, the cast readied behind him, exhaling audibly with rising urgency, you know you’re about to witness something special. The tempest itself is a thing of terrifying beauty, causing sails and passengers to flail and fall. There’s nothing like the wonder of watching a play where you know what’s going to happen but, in the moment of the scene, you completely forget. Let’s just say I was relieved when Prospero assures his daughter Miranda (Nora Eschenheimer) in the next scene that none of the passengers have been hurt.

Gloucester Stage’s ‘Baskerville” Is A Literal Breath of Fresh Air

July 23, 2021July 24, 2021 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Alexander Platt as Holmes and William Gardiner as Watson in Gloucester Stage’s ‘Baskerville’. All photos by Jason Grow

‘Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery’ – Written by Ken Ludwig. Directed by Jim O’Connor. Set Design by Janie E. Howland; Lighting Design by Marcella Barbeay; Original Music/Sound Design by Dewey Dellay; Costume Design by Miranda Kau Giurleo; Props Design by Emme Shaw; Dialect Coach – Erica Tobolski; Action Consultation by Robert Walsh. Presented by Gloucester Stage Company at the Windhover Center for the Performing Arts in Rockport through July 25.

By Shelley A. Sackett

Nothing could be finer than to be at theater-en-plein-air in Rockport on a clear and balmy summer evening carousing with the brilliant cast of the spectacularly entertaining Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery. Penned by Ken Ludwig, the Tony-award winning playwright of Lend Me A Tenor, this fast-paced comedic melodrama is a riff on the quintessential detective, Sherlock Holmes, and his faithful sidekick, Dr. John Watson.

This time, the dynamic duo is called upon to crack the case of “The Hound of the Baskervilles” before a family curse dooms its newest heir. Along the way, they encounter a motley crew of eccentric characters, hair pin plot twists and turns and red herrings galore. The 2-hour-15-minute (including one intermission) production flies by as five spectacularly talented actors play more than forty characters whose slapstick gestures and hyperbolic speeches they perform with impeccable pacing and precision. Couple this with stellar set, lighting, sound and prop designs, and theatergoers are in for a rollicking evening of good old-fashioned fun.

Ogunquit Brings Back the ‘Bright Side of Life’ with Riotous ‘Spamalot’

June 22, 2021June 22, 2021 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Cast of ‘Spamalot’, presented by Ogunquit Playhouse. Photo by Gary Ng

by Mike Hoban

‘Spamalot’ – Directed by BT McNicholl; Choreography by Jennifer Rias; Music Direction by Fred Lassen; Set Design by Nate Bertone; Lighting Design by Rich Latta; Sound Design by Kevin Heard; Costume Coordination by Jill Tarr. Presented by the Ogunquit Playhouse at 10 Main St, Ogunquit, ME through July 10^th.

If the CDC were to provide guidance on the musical best suited to break us out of the isolation and joylessness of the past 15 months, it would come as no surprise if Dr. Fauci recommended Spamalot,the 2005 Monty Python-inspired Broadway musical now playing at the Ogunquit Playhouse. This entertaining production is precisely the kind of silly fun needed to snap theatergoers out of our doldrums by reminding us of the joy of the shared experience of laughing out loud with a crowd of people. Worn down for too long by the pandemic and the increasingly toxic political landscape, Spamalot provides a salve to the psyche that the weightier classics (Cabaret, Ragtime, Fiddler etc.) just couldn’t deliver during this unique space in time.

Gloucester Stage’s ‘Tiny Beautiful Things’ A Welcome Return to Live Theater

June 15, 2021June 15, 2021 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Nael Nacer, Celeste Oliva, Adrian Peguero and Kelly Chick in ‘Tiny Beautiful Things’ at at the Windhover Center for the Performing Arts in Rockport. All photos by Jason Grow

by Mike Hoban

‘Tiny Beautiful Things’ – Written by Nia Vardalos. Based on the book by Cheryl Strayed. Co-Conceived by Marshall Heyman, Thomas Kail, & Nia Vardalos. Directed by Lyndsay Allyn Cox. Set Design by Kristin Loeffler; Lighting Design by Kat C. Zhou; Sound Design by Elizabeth Cahill; Costume Design by Chelsea Kerl. Presented by Gloucester Stage Company at the Windhover Center for the Performing Arts in Rockport through June 27.

One of the only silver linings of having lived a life scarred by booze and drug addiction, physical/sexual abuse and abandonment is that surviving and healing from those horrors can provide a unique perspective that can be useful in helping others who have been similarly afflicted. It’s the model that 12-Step programs and other peer-to-peer support groups are built upon, and it’s also the premise of Tiny Beautiful Things, now being presented by Gloucester Stage outdoors at the Windhover Center for the Performing Arts in Rockport. If you’re looking for a re-entry production that will remind you of the power and joy of experiencing live theatrical performance, this is the ticket.

Pages: 1 2

Theatre Magic in Seacoast Rep’s ‘Pippin’

June 15, 2021June 17, 2021 michaelhobanLeave a comment

by Linda Chin

‘Pippin’ – Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz; Book by Roger O. Hirson; Director/Choreographer: Bryan Knowlton; Set Design: Ben Hart and Brandon James; Lighting Design: Kelly Gibson; Costume Design: DW. Presented by Seacoast Repertory Theatre, 125 Bow St, Portsmouth, NH through July 18

Seacoast Repertory Theatre’s production of Pippin – the story of a medieval prince‘s search for meaning and purpose in life told by a troupe of players – proves a fitting choice to open its 2021 summer season. It winningly combines Fosse flair with hometown heart, not at all surprising given director Bryan Knowlton’s experience as a Broadway performer, Seacoast veteran, and Portsmouth native. Pippin premiered on Broadway in 1972, enjoyed a 5-year run, and was not revived for 40 years, transferring to Broadway a year after originating at American Repertory Theatre in 2012.

Pages: 1 2

Nervous Theater Brings Mirth, Music to Chekhov with ‘Mommy’s Dead…’

April 20, 2021April 20, 2021 michaelhobanLeave a comment

By Mike Hoban

“Mommy’s Dead and They Buried Her in Moscow” – Created by Nervous Theater Company; Directed by Connor Berkompas. Presented by Nervous Theater in a co-production with The Ellen Theater at the Ellen Theater in Bozeman, MT. Available for streaming now.

How do you transform The Three Sisters, Chekhov’s masterpiece of narcissistic despair, into an almost joyous experience? If you’re the Nervous Theater Company, you begin by removing nearly all of the characters except the three siblings from the stage and story (although a couple of their “romantic” interests are represented as disembodied voices offstage), add a handful of quasi-contemporary musical numbers, and throw theatrical conventions out the window. Mommy’s Dead and They Buried Her in Moscow is the second production by the company co-founded by Boston Conservatory alums Annabella Joy, Connor Berkompas and Sympathie the Clown, and with Mommy’s Dead, they deliver on their stated mission to produce “radically re-imagined classics”.

“Hype Man” (Still) Exceeds the Hype

April 15, 2021 michaelhobanLeave a comment

*(Michael Knowlton, Rachel Cognata iand Kadahj Bennett in A.R.T./Company One’s ‘Hype Man’ – Photos by A.R.T.)*

by Mike Hoban

“Hype Man: a break beat play” – Written by Idris Goodwin. Stage version originally directed by Shawn LaCount. Filmed version co-directed by John Oluwole ADEkoje and Shawn LaCount. Cinematography by The Loop Lab. Animation and illustrations by Barrington Edwards. Presented by Company One Theatre and American Repertory Theater. Available for streaming through May 6. For more information and tickets, go to: https://americanrepertorytheater.org/shows-events/hype-man-2021/

When Idris Goodwin’s electrifying and poignant work, Hype Man: a break beat play, had its world premiere back in 2018, a number of the names of the unarmed black citizens who had died at the hands of white police in the preceding years – Freddie Gray, Philando Castile, Sandra Bland, Walter Scott, Michael Brown – had already become household names. Unfortunately, by the time a filmed version of the play began streaming last week, nothing had been done to slow the growth of this appalling list, which has instead exploded. The sickening murder of George Floyd last Memorial Day led to the world-wide protests of last summer (the largest in the history of the U.S.), and appeared to wake up the populace to this disturbing reality as even large, conservative corporations began to publicly support the Black Lives Matter movement.

‘Conjurors’ Parlor Tricks Deliver Astonishment

March 17, 2021March 30, 2021 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Ran’d Shine of “The Conjuror’s Club” now online at the A.R.T.

By Mike Hoban

“The Conjurors Club” – Created by Vinny DePonto and Geoff Kanick. Presented online by American Repertory Theater through May16.

I can’t say I ever been a big fan of magic, probably because I could never separate the high profile practitioners from the actual craft. When I was growing up, there was the ostentatious and oft-parodied Siegfried & Roy with their white tigers; the cheesy made-for-TV illusions of David Copperfield (he made the Statue of Liberty disappear and floated over the Grand Canyon); and the cuddly hippie Doug Henning, none of which held any kind of appeal for me. What I missed, however, was that magic was never about spectacle, but rather about the joy of astonishment. It’s something that the A.R.T.’s The Conjurors Club delivers in spades – as well as hearts, clubs and diamonds – with their bewildering card tricks and sleights of hand.